1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to turntables for playing vinyl records, and more particularly, to a turntable that has a platter that can be vertically positioned so that the Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA) between the cartridge stylus on the tone arm and the record on the platter can be adjusted.
2. Description of the Related Art
For many audiophiles, digitally recorded music on compact discs sounds “processed”. In contrast, the vinyl playback of music on a turntable sounds much more natural and enjoyable compared to digital playback systems. Turntables for playing vinyl records have therefore recently enjoyed a resurgence in popularity.
The goal of a vinyl playback system is to extract as faithfully as possible the signal carved into the grooves of a record by the record cutting lathe. If the stylus exactly replicates in three dimensions the path of the cutting lathe, then the extracted signal should be an exact replica of the one cut in the groove. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to set the tone arm and cartridge of the turntable to achieve the exact stylus geometry with respect to the record to match that of the cutting lathe when the groove was cut. As a result, the signal replicated by the stylus as it travels through the groove is not identical to the one cut in the groove.
In an attempt to achieve the best sound, the tone arm and cartridge are typically adjusted or “tweaked” in an attempt to get the stylus to travel through the groove at a geometry as close as possible to that of the cutting lathe. One such adjustment is the tracking weight, which is the downward force applied by the stylus to the record groove. Another adjustment is alignment, which is the positioning of the stylus so that it is parallel with the two sides of the curved path of the groove. The azimuth adjustment is the setting of the cantilever of the cartridge so that it is perpendicular to the groove. Skating is the vector force which tends to draw the tonearm and cartridge toward the center of the record. Unless countered by anti-skating, this force can cause uneven wear on the inner walls of the grooves. Many tonearms therefore include one or more mechanism to adjust the tracking weight, alignment, azimuth and anti-skating respectively.
The Vertical Tracking Angle (VTA), which is defined as the angle of the stylus cantilever relative to the record surface, is another adjustment that can be made to the tone arm. The purpose of a VTA adjustment is to angle the cantilever to match that of the original cutting lathe when the record was cut. Most records are cut by a cutting lathe at an angle ranging from 20 to 24 degrees. The VTA is adjusted by modifying the height of the tone arm relative to record surface on the platter. As the height of the arm is increased, the VTA is increased. As the height is decreased, the VTA is decreased.
A number of difficulties are associated with the setting of the VTA. Foremost, there is no convenient way of knowing what VTA was used when a particular record was cut. To complicate the matter further, the angle of the cantilever on cartridges may vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Therefore, visibly setting the arm tube of the tone arm to be parallel with the record surface does not necessarily guarantee the proper or ideal VTA.
Many turntable owners experiment with different settings and settle on the VTA that sounds the best for a particular record. Since the VTA cutting angle and the thickness of the vinyl may vary from record to record, the VTA that sounds good for one record may not necessarily sound good for another record. Constant height adjustments of the tone arm may therefore be necessary to achieve the optimal sound from record to record. These constant adjustments, however, are not only bothersome, but they may cause the other adjustments mentioned above to become out of their ideal settings. Obtaining and maintaining the proper VTA and other tone arm adjustments for turntables is therefore very challenging for many audiophiles.
A turntable that has a platter that can be vertically positioned so that the VTA between the stylus of the cartridge and the record can be easily adjusted without tweaking or touching the tone arm is therefore needed.